To Every Ending, There Is A New Beginning
by mahala-la-la
Summary: Every man has 3 characters- that which he exhibits, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has. --Alphonse Karr What if Spike and Vicious are still alive? Has Vicious changed or is he the same?.
1. Some Things Never Change (And Some Thing...

To Every Ending, There Is A New Begining By: Tiffany Mahala  
  
All things must change To something new, to something strange. - Longfellow  
  
Chapter One: Some Things Never Change (And Some Things Do)  
  
There I stood with blood on my hands. My adversary laid in a heap on the dark roof top I panted heavily and decided to rest on the cool cement. Well actually kinda landed there. I was exhausted. For more than three years it was a cat and mouse game, neither one being the cat or the mouse. It was all over a girl too, can you believe that? The smooth white skin and long flaxen hair of an angel, that's what killed us both. She too was dead, in a literal since. As I caught my breath I could hear syndicate members running up the stairs. I picked up my Jericho 941 and booked it out the only other way I knew of, the elevator shaft. I took my jacket off and wrapped it around my hands and jumped hanging on to the cable as I slid down the twenty some floors to where the elevator rest. No one was there, perfect, but then I heard something even too low for dogs to hear.  
  
"Spike. . . . . Spike. . ."  
  
I looked around and saw nothing still. "Spike. . .Spike" I looked up the shaft to see if maybe someone from another floor was calling me. "Spike. . .Spike. . ." That's when I saw Vicious' body descending to me. His hair was blood soaked and his cloak was tattered. He landed right beside me and I drew my weapon.  
  
"No, no Spike. You got to help me. I want to live. I don't know why but I want to live." he was holding back tears as he grabbed my shirt. "Please" It sounded weird to me to have Vicious want me to help him. I mean I had nearly killed him and he had had thought that I was weak for needing or even wanting someone. He fell to his knees still holding on to my shirt and I dipped with him despite myself. He looked deep into my eyes and he searched for more than a minute to find something of which I can not say. I looked away. His blue eyes had always looked gray before but now they looked more human.  
  
"You're not going to help me are you?" he asked as he let go and tried to stand on his feet. I raised with him to make sure he didn't fall and he looked at me with an unnatural looking smile. He pushed away from me and walked a step or two before falling. All I could do was watch in a sadness unbeknowst to man. I could hear the yes-men walking closer to the shaft and I wandered if he really was as eager to leave as he seemed. Without even thinking I gathered all my strength ran towards Vicious and told him we had to go now to ensure some safety. He agreed and in his stupored state he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we ran.  
  
I found my Swordfish where I left it and told him to get in. He asked where we were going and I said purgatory. He laughed and as we took off he had passed out. I didn't know where to go and so I took him to the only place I knew of, Bebop.  
  
Luckily, the Bebop hadn't left the Martian vicinity and I was able to catch up fairly quickly. I landed on the deck and I saw that no one was here, which was unusual because Jet had a bum leg when I left. But then again Faye had come back so he probably had to go chase her down. Jet liked Faye more than he let on and I think Faye liked being rescued sometimes. I parked the Swordfish in it's usual spot and lifted Vicious out of the seat. He was still out of it so I carried him in and I layed him on my bed in my room. I rarely slept there anyway. I went to the cockpit and noticed a notepad that Jet must have left right before leaving. It had a couple of doodles and the name of a place on Mars.  
  
"Well, well, well. . .You can't keep a good dog down I guess." I laughed and went on searching for Doc's number I sure as hell wasn't taking him to a legitimate hospital. Too many people were looking for us. Besides Vicious wouldn't want to die in a hospital. I heard something stir from the living room and a couple of high shrieks.  
  
"Spike-person. . . wooooohooooo. . . . Are you in here?", her voice bounced off the walls and annoyed me greatly. I walked into the living room to see her sitting in her usual spot on the floor. Ein barked and Ed turned her golden eyes my way.  
  
"Spike-person!", she jumped up and ran over to hop in my arms. "Where's Faye-Faye and Jet-person?"  
  
"I don't know," I said as I sat her on the coffee table.  
  
"Ed's so happy to see Spike-person." she said, once again jumping into my arms.  
  
I sat her down again and she stayed and then plopped down in front of her computer. I decided to leave her there and go back to try and find that number again. I checked my room first and saw that Vicious still layed where I left him. I hadn't noticed that Jet and Faye had returned and as I closed the door Faye's teary emerald eyes met my unmatched ones. I smiled at her in a smug way and she stammered to say something, only for sounds to come out. When she couldn't verbalize her thoughts she threw a punch, which I dodged, and she stood with her mouth agape. I smiled, shrugged and shook my head as she briskly walked to her room.  
  
"I wonder what that was all about?", I said as I shoved my hands in my pocket and fished out a cigarette and lighter. I found my way back up to the cockpit and there was Jet smoking, looking out the window.  
  
"You know, you could have called me on the comm when you got here.", he said. I looked down and then back out to the red ball we were now fleeting. His cigarette smoke was whirling around his hand and then slowly traveling over to meet with the window.  
  
"I didn't want to distract you from going after Faye.", I said with a smirk and he laughed a bit.  
  
"Somethings never change, huh?" . He crushed his cigarette under his large boot and sat in the pilot's chair. "Are you okay? I don't think Faye noticed but there was a lot of blood on the side of your ship."  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay, but I gotta call Doc to see if he can fix up Vicious." I stared out into the blackness and I could feel Jet's eyes on me to see if I was joking or not. When it was evident I wasn't he shot up and walked down the metal steps towards my room. I just stood there listening to the Bebop hum, cigarette in hand. I turned toward the stairs when I heard the clanking of shoes and Jet's eyes met mine.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing with Vicious on the ship?" he whispered so as to not let any of the rest of the crew hear. "I thought that guy had it out for you?"  
  
"I don't know what I was thinking. There was something in his eyes, I don't know. Maybe I'm subconsciously holding on to the past, for whatever reason." I didn't want to look at Jet because I knew my eyes would show some kind of weakness so, I turned back to the black void outside the window.  
  
"Don't you think he's just as dangerous as before? And that after he gets patched up that he'll be back after you?", Jet wanted desperately to hear some kind of reassurance from me. But I couldn't offer any.  
  
"Don't you know the old saying, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? or was it He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare; And he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere." I turned to walk towards the stairs and he stopped me.  
  
"Do you have a plan?"  
  
"Now you know me, I work better under pressure." He chuckled uneasily and I proceeded down the stairs and corridor towards my room.  
  
"I hope you're right.", he yelled down the hall. 


	2. The Awakening

To Every Ending, There Is A New Beginning By: Tiffany Mahala  
  
Chapter Two: The Awakening  
  
I didn't want Faye to know that Vicious was here but when I heard her scream, I knew the cat was out of the bag.  
  
"Spike! Spike!" She stood in my door looking at the comatose killer, sprawled out on my bed. "What is he doing here?"  
  
"I brought him here." I walked past her, hands in pockets, making my way to the big yellow couch to try and rest before the doc got there. Jet and I had already used all the available bandages and wrappings to cover the wounds, but the doc would have to stitch him up.  
  
"Well, why did you bring him here?" she yelled as she followed me into the living room.  
  
"I dunno." She stopped and put her hands on her hips. The ever present 'don't you think that is just a little stupid' look on her face. "What? He asked me to help him."  
  
"And the fact that he's been trying to kill you must have slipped your mind."  
  
"What do you want me to say Faye? 'I'm sorry I didn't consult the princess of the Bebop before bringing someone on board'?" We would have got in a heated arguement if Ed hadn't alerted us that the doc was on his way.  
  
"Hey, Spike! Get Doc from the loading dock and show him in." Jet's husky voice boomed through the vessel and I made my way to the dock. The old man was getting out of his own ship and I walked over to pick up his medical bag.  
  
"So, I see you've lived to see another day?" he quipped.  
  
"Yeah, (laughs) I guess you could say that." I scratched the back of my head and smiled in nervousness. "Uh-hmm. This way Doc. The patient is not a regular crew member, but I didn't want to take him to a hospital."  
  
"I see."  
  
We walked through the many chambers of Bebop until we reached the hallway containing all the rooms. I opened the door and motioned him in. Doc looked at Vicious and rubbed his chin.  
  
"Hmm, I see you and Jet have bandaged him up. What happened to him?" He sat down beside the bed and began to unwrap the gauze.  
  
"Well, we were. . um. . .I don't really feel like talking about it, Doc."  
  
"Suit yourself. Eww." He had unwrapped the final piece of white linen and saw the wound on his side. He looked up at me with one eyebrow raised. I just motioned him to work and he did so. He rummaged through his black medical bag and came out with some stitching equipment. He quickly went to work sewing up Vicious. Faye had entered out of curiosity and leaned against the door jamb. Vicious roused a little bit but didn't wake entirely up. Doc finished up and picked up his bag, not saying a word. I followed him out to the hall where he pulled me aside.  
  
"Give this to Jet. This is a list of instructions for tending the wound. The stitches will disintegrate within a few days. And keep fresh gauze on him, it might bleed a little." He handed me the little paper and retraced his journey to his ship again. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. There's some bandages in the nightstand. Okay?"  
  
"Spike, you got a cigarette?", Faye said from the doorway. I patted myself down only to find that my cigs were on the nightstand.  
  
"They're on the nightstand." I waved for her to go on and get them and I went to the cockpit to give Jet the note.  
  
Meanwhile in the room, Faye tried to find my lighter which was not in the usual location. She then reached for the spare I kept between the bed and table. She steadied herself with one arm on the bed and the other reaching for the desired instrument. She gasped as she felt clammy hands grab her arm and shot her head up to see Vicious staring at her with pale blue eyes. She tried to get free of his cold grip and when she finally liberated her arm he mummbled something to her.  
  
"What?". She leaned in closer to maybe hear again what he said. His eyes closed slowly and reopened just as slowly.  
  
"Veronica?" He fell back asleep and Faye exited my room, running up to where Jet and I were talking.  
  
"Guys, he just said something." She was drained of all the color in her face and was breathing shallow.  
  
"What did he say?" I wanted to know because he hadn't said anything since I put him in the Swordfish. Faye breathed a few deep breaths and decided to start the story from the beginning.  
  
". . .and he said 'Veronica'. Does that name sound familiar to you Spike?", she looked at me, expecting a yes.  
  
"Nope. Never heard of her or whatever it pretains to." I picked a cigarette out of the pack that Faye had laid on the dash panel.  
  
"Well maybe we can ask him when he gets up." Jet spoke optimistically.  
  
"Or we could check out what Ed can find and see if he's using other women's names for his dirty business deals." Faye still didn't trust Vicious and who really could blame her?  
  
"All right you can have Ed check the web and Jet and I will take turns keeping a bedside vigil." Faye looked anything but relieved but since no other alternatives were presented, she agreed. Jet looked at me with a look that if verbalized would have sounded like: 'how did I get dragged into this?'. I gave him a smirk that immediately answered his question; 'because you let yourself.'  
  
Faye walked back and found Ed in front of her computer typing with her toes. I could her Faye say something about looking something up and a squeal of delight from Ed.  
  
Jet and I watched him on alternate nights that way one would be up during the day while the other slept. For five whole days Vicious didn't say a word and I was beginning to think that maybe Faye just dreamed this up. Day six came and went and when Jet was helping Faye dress his wounds he spoke again.  
  
"Veronica." , his eyes shot wide open and when he realized where he was he relaxed once again, but didn't go to sleep. Faye sprinted from the room to my resting spot on the yellow couch.  
  
"Vicious just said it again. Spike! Get up!", Faye shook me hard and when I didn't wake up she rolled me off the couch. "Spike! Get up! He said Veronica again!"  
  
I walked wearily to the room which was now officially his and stood at the door, half leaning in. He laid there, his eyes half open, and when he saw me he smiled a warm and, for him, creepy smile.  
  
"Spike, I found Veronica!" he said slowly.  
  
"Who is Veronica? I don't know of any Veronica." I said honestly. His eyes then started to look sad again like they were in the elevator shaft.  
  
"You know Veronica." he tried to convince me that I had known someone that I assumed was in his dreams.  
  
"No, I don't. Maybe you could introduce me to her later when you get healed.", those eyes they looked so helpless, so vulnerable. Unlike the Vicious I had known for so long. "I'm going back to sleep." I walked back to the living room and plopped down on the yellow sleep demon. I laid back, hands behind my head, looking at the ceiling fan spinning and drifted off once more to the hum of the Bebop and Ed typing mechanically. Hoping no more excitement would come for the rest of the day. 


	3. The Past Returns

To Every Ending, There Is A New Beginning By: Tiffany Mahala  
  
Chapter Three: The Past Returns  
  
In the year 2062 a young woman and man hug each other good-bye at the spaceport. Both teary eyed teen-agers squeeze each other for comfort, but the time comes and the young man must board his ship. He looks at the young woman in front him. She wipes the tears from her own eyes before collapsing into his safe arms once more. He gently pushes her away and reassures her that he will be back and that she shouldn't worry.  
  
"It'll only be a few months. I promise I will be back and we can be family again.", his blue eyes smiled and she couldn't help but smile again. The P.A. system announced again what it had before and the young man boards the ship. Waving good-bye to the young woman.  
  
On the ship he couldn't help but get out the picture of her and him from long ago. His prematurely silver hair almost as long as her purplish black hair covering her sea green eyes. He put the photo back in his duffle bag and laid back to rest and dream of long lost days.  
  
The young man thought that going into the army was going to make things better, but it didn't. It took him three years to complete training and with every day in there, a little more of him died. The world was a cruel place and it seemed the only way to go somewhere and be somebody was to prey on the weak. When he got out he passed right by his own flesh and blood only to wince when he heard her cry. He turned and looked at her coldy. Then without saying a word he turned and walked away, leaving her to drown in her tears.  
  
Within the next three years he wouldn't forget her. She was with him when he joined the syndicate. She was with him when he made his friends. He thought they seemed so much like her, like they were the piece of him that was missing. She was there when he was on Titan. And even there when he betrayed a comrade. And even there when he, like she, would be betrayed by someone close.  
  
* * * Three more days had past and still Vicious lay dormant. I was dozing off in the chair set up beside the bed when Faye came in and sat at the foot of the bed. He moved a little but didn't seem to notice a change in the bed's posture. She looked at him with empty eyes as if she was thinking. I closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair with one leg on top of the other. It stayed silent for what seemed like enternity and she quietly raised herself off the bed and exited the room. It was getting late and I figured he wasn't going anywhere so I left the room to fix myself a cup of coffee. We were now over Ganymede air-space and the bounty-head was securely hand-cuffed to the pipe hand rails. During this wait we had taken turns trying our luck with the bounties in the direct vicinity of Jupiter. This one was a run-of-the-mill criminal,petty theft and robbery, and he would suffice to get some beef on the Bebop.  
  
(I woke up in a cold sweat to an empty room. I heard stirring from one of the other rooms and then the sound of walking down the hollowed hallway. I wiped the sweat from my brow and tried to calm my breathing.)  
  
I walked back to where Vicious was and he was sitting up in his bed. All the color that had seemed to be drained had finally found it's way back to his face.  
  
"So, I see you're up. How are you feeling?" I stirred my coffee and made my way back to the chair. He traced my movements with his eyes, still sleep weary.  
  
"Spike, why did you bring me here?" his voice was low and he turned his eyes away from me. He didn't want to look at his own handy-work.  
  
"Why did you want me to help you?" I looked at the hallway as I took a sip from the mug that had in big black letters 'FAYE'. "And who is this 'Veronica' you've been mumbling about?"  
  
"Veronica!?" his eyes grew wide and he looked at me waiting for me to say more, but I didn't offer anything. I didn't have anything. "What do you know about Veronica? Is she here? Spike, if she's here I don't want her to see me like this. Please." The pain was evident in his voice and I reassured him that she wasn't there.  
  
"So, could you clue me in to who this Veronica is?" I asked.  
  
"What is this twenty questions?", he asked accusively sighing. He looked down at the sheets then to me, then back down. "Okay. Veronica is a person I loved very much. But I betrayed her much like you and Juila betrayed me." I bit my lip as memories of the past came flooding back. How can you betray someone with no loyalty? I thought.  
  
"Who is she to you anyway? Is she an old girlfriend?" I inquired. Vicious had reached for his tattered cloak and I grabbed it and handed it to him. At that time Faye was taking a shower and Ein was already doing wake-up calls to all aboard that was still asleep. Vicious fumbled in the inside pocket till he found what he was after. He pulled out a small photo of a young woman and a young man. The young woman was sitting on the lap of the young man who I knew immediately was Vicious. She had purplish black hair and sea green eyes. They both seemed more like brother and sister than boy- friend/girl-friend. He put the picture back in the pocket from which it came and laid the cloak at the foot of the bed.  
  
"Spike. When everybody wakes up I'll tell you the name of the girl. Now help me out of here. I feel like I've got bed sores." He seemed to be in a less dreary mood and as I helped him to his feet it reminded me of the many times when I helped falling friends out of the line of fire. He smiled graciously and asked for some non-bloody clothes. I went through the drawers in the wardrobe and pulled out a white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. not to mention the unmetionables. After he had clothed himself I led him to the living room with the two yellow couches. One of which I called home. Jet and Ed soon appeared from various parts of the ship, ready for another day of hapless bounties to come their way. From the kitchen one could here Faye searching for the mug that was snuggly in my palm. When she finally made her way into the living room she took her place on the other couch facing Vicious and me.  
  
I noticed Vicious suddenly get a bit uneasy and only then did I see the resemblance of Faye and the woman. I then stood when everyone was assembled and announced that Vicious wanted to tell us who Veronica is. He rose as I sat back down and cleared his throat.  
  
"Ah-hmm. Spike has told me that the name Veronica has perplexed you since my arrival. I guess it's time to tell you who it is." He fumbled for the right words to say then remembered the picture in his cloak. He bent down and asked me to retrieve it for him. I did and when I came back he proceeded to pass the photo to Ed, then Jet, then Faye all of whom got wide eyed when they noticed the likeness to Faye. She blushed slightly, but then demanded what this all meant.  
  
"I'm sorry but you look so much like her and I treated her so wrong. I must have thought you were her." he apologized.  
  
"That still doesn't tell us who she is?" Jet pointed out and Vicious nodded and decended back to the yellow seat.  
  
"Her name is Veronica, you all know this. And she is my sister. . ." a gasp escaped all of our lips. ". . .my twin sister." Jaws fell to the floor and we all sat in silence for a while, even Ed.  
  
"Well, you still didn't answer my question from earlier. Why did you want me to help you?" I had to break the silence. It only causes awkward rests in life.  
  
"I want you to help me find her. "  
  
The bustle of the Bebop had never been as loud as it was then. Jet was trying to explain to him that room and board weren't free and that he had to pull his weight around the ship. Faye bluntly told him not to try any funny stuff and that the consequences would be great. Ed asked with her riddle filled words where he last saw her and her last name. I fended off the wolves and helped him walk back to his room.  
  
"Welcome, to the floating circus called the Bebop. . " I said as if I was a hotel clerk. " . . how long will you be staying with us?"  
  
"Until I find my sister." he smiled.  
  
"You know you should have Ed look first and foremost. She's found many bounty heads for us."  
  
"I think I will."  
  
I walked out of the room to the cockpit where Jet was getting info on the next bounty. He handed Faye the pad and after reading it she flew down the stairs to the Redtail and was off. The day went without a hitch. Jet turned in the head on the ship and as usual got less than expected. Ed found no relevant information on the internet. And Faye's bounty got away. So all in all it was a regular day.  
  
Seeing that nothing productive could be done for the rest of the day Vicious and I decided to go for a drink at a bar on the south side of town. I grabbed my jacket and trench coat and handed Vicious an old duster of mine. Vicious pulled me over to a corner and handed me a piece of paper saying "this should help you more". I opened the paper and all it had was 2 names and a date.  
  
Victor Markus Jameson Veronica Irene Jameson  
  
July 21, 2044  
  
I gave it to Ed as Vicious and I left for a drink. Ed yelling back to bring her some chocolate. 


	4. The Bacchanal

To Every Ending, There Is A New Beginning By: Tiffany Mahala  
  
Chapter Four: The Bacchanal  
  
Vicious and I walked down to the local pub in silence. When I finally couldn't take the sound of the voices in my head I broke the silence.  
  
"Vicious, what's really going on?" He stopped dead in his tracks and looked slightly over his shoulder. The wind had picked up and now engulfed us both as we stood alone.  
  
"What do you think is going on, Spike?", his devilish grin had resurfaced and chills ran through my spine. I shook it off and shook my head as I walked up to him. He looked down towards the pavement as I stopped beside him and I think I startled him when I put my hand on his shoulder. He smiled and you know I don't care what people say, but smiles are contagious.  
  
"Let's say we have a little drink." I offered.  
  
"Okay, you're paying." I had no objections to that so we walked to a little place that Jet was always talking about. Charle's. The owner was the wife of a former colleague of Jet's. She was always cracking jokes and saying stuff that would make sailors blush. She was about the same age as Jet, I guess, and knew immediately what I was having when I sat down at the bar.  
  
"Spike, hmm, so you'll have a bottle of Mariachi Bourbon and just by judging your friend here he'll have vodka. Am I right?", she sat the bottle of bourbon in front of me as Vicious looked up in astonishment.  
  
"H-How. . ."  
  
"How did I know what you were having? Well when you've been a bartender for as long as I have, honey, you can just about follow a stereotype for each drink." She laughed and left us to tend to another customer.  
  
I knew Vicious couldn't hold his liquor as well as I could so I figured he would start talking more about 'his sister' after a couple of drinks. Little did I know, that since I hadn't had anything to eat before we left, I would get drunk just as fast as he would. Before long, all thoughts of Vicious' sister had been replaced by thoughts of 'the good ole days.' When we would mess with people's minds and just get our kicks.  
  
--------------  
  
We were about 22 when we first met in the syndicate and we hit it off instantaneously. We would plot out our small hits at Annie's; and my dad, Annie's brother, would just laugh as he would go off to do the bloody stuff. My father was Mao's right-hand man and Vicious looked up to him like he was his own dad. Though Vicious and I were close, he never spoke of his life before the syndicate except occasional speeches about how he fought in the war on Titan. Things would come between us. I mean besides the femme fatale. My father wanted me to follow in his footsteps and possibly become head of the Red Dragon, but I was becoming jaded of the gangster life. Vicious on the other hand wanted terribly to have the chance that I had had and felt betrayed, not only when not ask first but when not asked at all. Mao thought Vicious was a bit zealous when it came to our bigger hits. So you see it was not just Julia that we fought over. He resented me because I was given the chance to have something I knew he could never have unless he took it.  
  
---------------  
  
The communicator rang several times but we were too drunk to hear it. Vicious and I had already started a fight earlier when we sat to play poker with Jobin, Carlos, and Antonio. They apparently had never played with card sharks before and were irrate when they lost all their money to us. No hard feeling's though. We bought them a drink and argued a solid thirty minutes about how WE used to work on the gates. The next hour or so was a haze.  
  
The next thing I knew we were trying our best to pick a fight with a big brawny guy by blantantly asking his attractive girl-friend out. Charle came over and sat us back down at the bar. I gave her a 'why did you do that? I was having fun.' look and she pointed to my coat pocket. The communicator was ringing once again and I answered forgetting the possible consequences of any of the Bebop members seeing me smashed.  
  
"Where the hell are you? We've been trying to get a hold of you for two hours." Faye yelled over the small speaker. Even on the small screen of the comm. you could see her face turn red with every slurred word I said.  
  
"Weee'reee at (hic cup) Sharleeeeeee'sssss. . .hehehe (hic cup)." I couldn't help but laugh because I thought it was funny that she was getting even redder. I suddenly felt the urge to vomit so I sprinted to the closest bathroom while Vicious spoke to Faye.  
  
"Where did he go?"  
  
"He's gone to serenade the porcelain goddess. By the way (hic cup) what is a girl like you doing in a place like this?" he laughed.  
  
"That's it. . . .Jet!!!. I'm going to get these two." I had returned back to the bar and putting my arm on Vicious' shoulder leaned over to look at the monitor. Jet was standing there like a disapproving father and Faye was still yelling something I didn't quite hear due to Vicious' retching in the garbage can.  
  
". . . .and you better just stand outside until we get there." I caught the end of Faye's speech now including Jet, much to his disliking.  
  
"Okay mommy." I laughed as I made a half-assed salute and cut her off in mid-sentence.  
  
"She looked serious. Is she always so. . . "  
  
"Bitchy?"  
  
"Well I was thinking more like. . termagant. But now that I think about it bitchy does have a nice ring to it."  
  
We both laughed like we hadn't in a long time.  
  
Vicious and I walked through the crowd and walked out into the brisk cool air. We chose to sit underneath the street lamp and began to sober up a little. (a little, mind you) It took Jet and Faye about fifteen minutes to drive down to the little bar and in that time we decided to revive an old but classic prank we used to play. As soon as they would pull up we would act so inebriated that they would go and buy us a coffee to sober us up. We didn't have to do much acting.  
  
They pulled up to the curb in an old beat up 1985 Firebird. Faye was driving as Jet sat shot-gun. The car was an antique as far as I was concerned but Faye had a strange attachment to this relic.  
  
"If you gotta puke, do it right now because you're not. .and I mean NOT going to screw this car up." She looked us over and prodded us as each word came out. We nodded and Jet got out of his seat to pull the seat up for us to get in.  
  
"We're going to an all night coffee shop to get you half way sobbered up. Ed doesn't need to see you like this."  
  
"Oh come on Faye. Ed as seen me bandaged from head to toe lots of times. But you don't want her to see me drunk?" I blurted out. She couldn't think of a good come back and I felt satisfied that I got the last word. Vicious had passed out and instead of going to a coffee shop we just went to the only place we ever called home, the Bebop. Faye parked the car and we all rolled out and made our way on the ship. Once inside Faye went to fix some coffee and I took a quick shower to wake myself up and to clean myself. Needless to say we did screw up the car.  
  
Jet and Faye went to sleep what they could as Vicious and I poured ourselves coffee. We sat in silence staring at the table in the living room. I finally stretched out on the yellow couch and told him where the asprin was if he needed it. I closed my eyes and I heard him walk back to his room and close the door. I opened my eyes again and looked up to the ceiling fan spinning.  
  
"Oh, damn. I can already feel the headache coming on."  
  
  
  
AN: It took me almost three weeks to get this done and I'm still not satisfied with it. Oh well, I can finally get on with the story. ^_^ *Tiffany* 


	5. Just to Introduce a Character

To Every Ending, There Is A New Beginning By: Tiffany Mahala  
  
Chapter Five: Just to Introduce a Character  
  
Marco walked into her office stumbling on just about everything he walked by. He was of average height and build but was by far the weakest of the bunch. He finally came up to the massive mahogany desk and sat in one of the white upholstered wing-backed chairs. A huge window that over looked the Ganymede harbor and had an excellent view of Jupiter made a silhouette of an executive's chair. Even with the room being in neutral colors it still seemed dark and Marco could hardly see the figure in the chair as it spun around to face him.  
  
"Well, did you see him?", the figure spoke in a raspy voice.  
  
"Yes, but last night he was quite intoxicated."  
  
"Hmmm. Was he with anybody?"  
  
Marco flipped through his notes as the figure raised from the chair and walked over to where he was sitting. The figure then knocked the papers out of Marco's hands and he cowered in the chair pulling his legs up to his chest as the shadowed figure leaned in.  
  
"It should be an easy answer. Yes, he was with someone, or No, he wasn't . How hard can that be to say?" The figure pushed itself back off the chair and then called for the guards that were outside the door. Marco's eyes widened and he wet himself in fear.  
  
"You know Marco, this is going to be the last time you turn a simple job into something difficult." The figure pounded it's fist on the desk and glowered at him. "Roland, Wilhelm, kill him." With those nonchalant words, Roland drew his weapon. Marco pleading for mercy began yelling that he wouldn't do it again if he had another chance.  
  
"You've had plenty of chances." ,she looked at Roland and Wilhelm, "Why is he still alive?" And with those words the room filled with one single gun shot. It rang throughout the building. Blood stains splattered to the left of the chair and Marco's lifeless body slid to the floor making a puddle of blood there as well. Roland and Wilhelm waited for instructions of how to dispose of the body.  
  
"Just throw him in the harbor and have someone clean up this mess." The figure stepped into the light to reveal a feminine form with silver streaks running through her purplish-black hair. She had her back to Roland and Wilhelm and instructed them to move now or they would have the same fate as Marco.  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
* * * * *  
  
When I woke up I found that I had been robbed and that Faye was missing as well. She also took the liberty to steal the money that Vicious had too. He was furious and was determined to find her and his money, no matter what.  
  
"Ed found something. Spike-person!!" Ed and Ein were sitting in front of the computer monitor, Ed more enthralled than Ein. I rubbed my head and squinted as I leaned forward to the screen at which she was pointing feverously.  
  
"Veronica came up very quick. I sifted through all the pictures and only found one that fit the description, but Spike-person there is no current information on her." she frowned and lifted the green goggles from over her eyes.  
  
"Where's the most recent information, Ed?" I ran through my pants pockets and then looked through my jacket which was on the back of the couch. By then Vicious had forgotten about Faye and picked up in mine and Ed's conversation. I still hadn't found my cigarettes.  
  
"Damn, that shrew. Not only does she steal all my money she takes my cigarettes as well."  
  
"Hey Spike, catch." Jet threw me a half smoked butt from the doorway between the living room and kitchen.  
  
"It's half smoked."  
  
"Beggars can't be choosers."  
  
"Hey little girl, where was the last reported sighting of Veronica?" said Vicious.  
  
"Well, here's all the information. . ."we all looked at her as she started to hand a stack of papers to us but, as if reading our expressions, she wrote down the place instead. ". . .here I'll give you just the city. Umm. . . she was last seen on Mars. Here's the last known address."  
  
"Faye. . . .!! breakfast is ready!!"  
  
"She's gone."  
  
"Huh!?! Where did she go?"  
  
"How should we know? When I woke up my money and cigarettes were gone. She took Vicious' money as well."  
  
The videophone rang and Ein answered it.  
  
"Hey everybody, how's it going?" Faye sat in the Redtail and was smoking one of my Marlboro's. "Oh hi, Spike, Vicious. Just for that little stunt in my car last night, I decided to reap your rewards of last night. Pay- back's a bitch. Miss me?"  
  
"Not hardly." Vicious murmured. Faye was taken aback and her eyebrows started to shape a V.  
  
"Well then I guess you don't want to know what I found out?" She sat back in the cock-pit gleefully watching our eyebrows raise.  
  
" 'What you found out' about what?", I knew she had probably screwed up somehow and was just taking us for a ride.  
  
"Well I was on my way to Mars and I had to pit-stop. I walked into the little convenience store. Well to make a long story short I have another address that Ed wasn't able to find." she cockily flicked the ashes of her/my cigarette to the floor.  
  
"What's the new address?" Jet questioned.  
  
"It's still on Mars, but it's seems to be in the run-down part of town." she lifted a piece of paper and read off of it : "...1550 Garner Street."  
  
"I see. . . you called us because you don't know you're way around Mars." Vicious had got into the groove of being just as smug as the rest of us. Faye sheepishly laughed but then decided it wasn't worth her time.  
  
"Uh. . he he. . . I was going to help you but I guess you don't want my help. Hey, Ed where is there a bounty head close by?" Ed began to search for bounties and was confused at what I did next.  
  
"Well, Faye you just did. Thanks", I said as she smiled and I cut her off.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The curtains in her office were drawn and with the little lighting, one could barely make out the shapes of various edged weapons mounted on the walls. Her vast collection included katanas, Arthurian, fencing and other types of swords as well as a custom made machete. The doors opened and in walked a young man with sunglasses and a black pin-striped suit. His brown hair was cut to right below the ears and his eyes were of the oddest color of blue she'd seen.  
  
"My Lady. We have your car waiting." He stopped halfway in the room and stood with his hands behind his back.  
  
"I'll be there in a minute." He turned around to leave but was stopped when she called to him. "Do you think that sometimes revenge can be bittersweet?"  
  
"I-I don't understand, My Lady. What do you mean?" He had turned back to look at her and found that she had already caught up to him.  
  
"Nothing. Let's go." 


	6. Vae Victis

To Every Ending, There Is A New Beginning  
By: Tiffany Mahala  
  
Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived. -- Lincoln  
  
Chapter Six: Vae Victis  
  
"Faye? Where are you?" Vicious said through the speaker in his run-down ship.  
  
"I-I'm . . . (static) on Mars. . .(static and gunfire). . .I had to make a run for it when I got here. (gunfire . 'This is my kind of "good time" ') (the sound of Faye dusting her hands off). They just wouldn't take no for an answer."  
  
"Yeah. Well where on Mars are you?", Vicious said back.  
  
"Um. . The street signs say 'St. James Street'. Which direction do I need to go?"  
  
"Faye-Faye needs to go north to St. Charles Place", Ed said as she had managed to break into their conversation. She sat on the Bebop, stumped by this new game, Monopoly. Jet had dug it out of the storage room hoping it would keep her busy.  
  
"Ed this is no time to play games. Get off the line if you're not going to help!" Faye rolled her eyes as she walked down the street, past the bodies of the dead or injured, but suddenly Vicious lost her signal.  
  
"Hey, Faye? Faye? Little girl what did you do?" Vicious asked Ed.  
  
"Ed didn't do anything. Vicious and Faye-Faye just lost the signal." Ed answered and she too disappeared.  
  
Jet and I were following behind in our respective ships talking about any and everything.  
  
". . . .And this is where you grew up?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Hey guys, I just lost contact with Faye. She was on Mars but she is on the opposite side of town from our destination." Vicious informed us.  
  
"Well she's a big girl; she can take care of herself." Jet assured him. "Besides it might be a good idea if she not get in our way."  
  
* * * *  
  
Meanwhile on Mars. . . . .  
  
"Damn you." Faye said as she hit the communicator against her hand, but to no avail. "Jet why can't you fix this half-assed thing?", she spoke to the gray streets. Then came the rain.  
  
"Oh, great! Just what I need." She ran from the gray streets to a small canopy at a side door in the adjacent alley. She picked a cigarette out of her ankle boots and lit it in no time at all. She took a long drag and then blew the smoke out in ringlets against the rain. A shadowy figure appeared at the entrance of the alley-way. Faye looked up, noticed him and rolled her eyes. She threw her cigarette down and stomped it out. The figure stepped into what little light the nearby store fronts gave off, to reveal his black suit and sunglasses. Faye was relieved to see that, first of all he had an umbrella and second that she recognized him as the guy from the convenience store.  
  
"Hey, there stranger." she said as she sauntered up to him. He smiled and opened his enormous black umbrella. "Thanks"  
  
"I thought you might need some help, so I followed you from the asteroid belt."  
  
"Ooh, how sweet." Faye said as they walked out of the alley.  
  
"So do you know your way around here or are you as lost as I am? By the way I didn't catch your name." Faye spun around as the rain came down in sheets.  
  
"My name is Katsuo. What's your's?"  
  
"My name is Faye. It's a very common name. You didn't answer my question."  
  
"Well I've been here quite a bit. I actually was born here but I grew up on Ganymede. I always come back to visit what bit of family that is here. Are you still trying to find Veronica? What was she, your sister?" Faye started walking again and Katsuo was close behind.  
  
"Uh. . Yeah! You see Veronica is my long lost sister." Faye knew she was lying through her teeth, but anything she could do to get closer to the prize was well worth it. She was determined to get all the information he knew about her and drop him to get Veronica. "How do you know her? I mean you yourself said you only come here to visit family, so how do you know Veronica?" Faye turned around and pointed her Glock to his temple, slowly cocking the hammer back. She had had her share of people lying to her and she could almost tell just by their voice if they were or not. Katsuo laughed and took Faye's right arm and lowered the gun.  
  
"Listen Ms. Valentine. You're going to come with me to my hotel. My employer and I have been looking for you." Before she knew it, Faye was cuffed and being pushed through the doors of the Martian Hilton.  
  
All the way up the red carpeted stair case and to the elevator Katsuo had Faye's gun pointed at her back. He shoved her in the elevator and walked in himself and pushed the 7 button. Faye couldn't believe that she was the one being bullied around. 'I'm losing my touch', she thought. She quickly tired to pick the lock and because the elevator had mirrored walls she was found out and soon Katsuo managed to wrestle the gadget out of her hands. 'Damnit'  
  
The doors opened and Faye's captor grabbed her arm roughly. Walking down the hallway Faye tried to think of any other way to get out of this. Katsuo stopped her at room 714 and slid the key-card through the slot opening the door. He walked in and uncuffed Faye.  
  
"Listen we will be leaving for Ganymede tomorrow. I want you to get cleaned up." He gave her a black garment bag. "This is what you will wear when you meet my employer. Go ahead and shower." Faye gave him a distrustful look. "I don't mix business with pleasure. You can bathe in peace." Faye walked defeated to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.  
  
* * * *  
  
"This place is a hell-hole."  
  
"Hey this was my old apartment." I spat out.  
  
"Spike, you never would take any money to get yourself a decent place." Vicious laughed.  
  
Jet looked around and was glad that I wasn't as sloppy on the Bebop, but I didn't have as many belongings on the Bebop.  
  
"Hey, how can you still have this apartment? It's been almost four years since your first disappearance." Vicious asked.  
  
"Well, this is a rent control place and I paid up most of my rent for up to five years."  
  
Jet and Vicious laughed as they looked at me and how I seemed to be proud of my only accomplishment, in my mind. The main room had taupe carpet that had various stains of food and everything else. The furniture was sparce. A green and orange plaid arm-chair sat in front of a coffee table with the matching couch sitting on the other side. The actual main room was set similarly to the Bebop's living room. The only other room, besides the bathroom, that had a door was the bedroom. A four poster bed with pale yellow (either from years of not being washed or the original color) linens sat in the middle of the room with a mis-matched nightstand on the left side.  
  
"I call dibs on the couch." I said. I had taken a liking to sleeping on couches the past couple of days anyway. And it seemed that any other time I had fallen asleep it was on that ugly yellow sofa.  
  
"I think we have a little problem about sleeping arrangments, unless you expect Vicious and I to sleep together." Jet gave in a matter-of-fact tone.  
  
"Well I don't have a problem with it as long as you don't have a problem with it." I said. Jet and Vicious both got wide-eyed and I smirked as I walked to the bathroom closet to get some blankets out.  
  
It was about ten o'clock and Jet and I had already smoked the ashtray full. We dared not look in the fridge, so we went hungry. We plotted out how we were going to search for Veronica sitting around the coffee table. Jet would check out the original address while Vicious and I would go to the new address.  
  
At around twelve we decided it was a good idea to go on and get some sleep, so I situated myself on the couch and after a long discussion Vicious took the bed, leaving Jet to sleep on a makeshift bed using the arm-chair and the coffee table.  
  
* * * *  
  
Faye had peeked out of the bathroom door. Katsuo was lounging on the sofa half watching the news report. Faye slipped back into the bathroom and turned the water on. Steam filled the room as the water fell from the faucet into the cold tub. Faye opened the window quietly. She figured she could slip through the window and escape back to her ship where she kept her extra gun. Fortunately for her the hotel had a fire escape, unlike many of the time. She stepped up on the toilet for more height and she peeked out to make sure no guards were there to find her out. None. 'Good.', Faye thought to herself. She climbed out of the window and onto the rusty wet fire escape. She ran quickly down the steps to the waiting Martian streets.  
  
Once on the streets she ran as fast as she could to the Redtail. She fumbled for a few minutes and found what she was looking for. The communicator was ringing so she picked it up and to her surprise it was Ed.  
  
"Faye-Faye! Where are you?"  
  
"Nevermind that. What do you want?" Faye said as she looked over her shoulder.  
  
"A bounty in the area. He's worth a lot of woolongs." Ed had already sent all the information over the monitor of the Redtail. Faye looked it over searching for the bounty amount. Then a wicked smile crept on her face.  
  
"Thanks. Ed. Gotta go!" Faye cut her off abruptly and ran back.  
  
"Oh, Ein. Faye-Faye has that look in her eyes again. (whimper)" Then Ed cut her end off as well.  
  
A few minutes later Faye was back at the hotel in the bathroom of room 714 with her weapon securely hidden.  
  
(knock, knock)  
  
"Ms. Valentine?" Katsuo walked over to the bathroom door and felt the squish of water under his feet.  
  
"Ms. Valentine?" Katsuo pulled his gun from its holster and slowly turned the knob of the door. "Ms. Valentine?" Katsuo flung the door open and bubble covered Faye looked up from the magazine she was reading.  
  
"Excuse me!! I am trying to bathe. You said for me to get cleaned up. Now get out." Faye picked up bottles of all varieties and started to throw them at him as he fumbled to close the door.  
  
"The water ran over onto the floor! I said for you to shower.", he said through the door while trying to replace his weapon back to its holster.  
  
'This is going to be too easy.' Faye thought as she went back to reading her magazine.  
  
AN: Vae Victis means 'woe to the conquered'. I guess either laziness, apathy, or writer's block is my excuse. T.M. 


End file.
